The present invention relates to a method of transferring a toner image from a photoconductive surface to an image carrier and also to an apparatus for carrying out this method.
Toner image transfer from a moving photoconductor to a moving image carrier is generally effected with the aid of pressure, heat and/or with the assistance of a corona discharge, when the image carrier comprises paper, a plastic film or a similar material.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,836 a transfer process for toner images is known, in which a toner image is developed on a silicone elastomer surface and is then transferred once or even more than once to further silicone elastomer surfaces and is eventually applied to the final image carrier, without splitting of the toner. In the process, an aluminum plate coated with a silicone elastomer, for example, may be used to form the circumferential surface of a roll, on which an image is present, which is developed by means of a developer. The developed image can subsequently be transferred to another roll which is also coated with a silicone elastomer and, from this roll, it is finally transferred to an image carrier web.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,925 describes an apparatus forming part of a printing plate system comprising a recyclable printing member of aluminum carrying a photosensitive coating which, together with the aluminum printing member, constitutes the image face. The aluminum printing member is supported by a carrier plate and is releasably connected thereto. Upon completion of the printing operation, the aluminum printing member is separated from the carrier plate, which can also be reused.
In prior art apparatuses, the image is either first transferred from the photoconductor to an intermediate image carrier and then to the image carrier, or is transferred directly from the photoconductor to an image carrier provided with a light-sensitive coating, without using an intermediate image carrier.